Bombay Bicycle Club perform at 9:30 Club on Wednesday. Photograph by Flickr user Ian Wilson.
Thursday, March 1
He’s lost Paul and Mary along the way, but at 73, Peter Yarrow is still playing silly hits like “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “This Land Is Your Land.” Catch him and his acoustic guitar at Wolf Trap. For $25, it’s well worth it.
8 PM at Wolf Trap, $25.
It’s not quite St. Patrick’s Day, but one of Ireland’s best, the Saw Doctors, will be greening up the Fillmore’s stage nevertheless. Since forming in the mid-’80s, they’ve had 20 singles chart in Ireland—including their cover of Petula Clark’s “Downtown,” which peaked at number two in December.
8 PM at the Fillmore, $30.
Friday, March 2
Like Justin Bieber, Julia Nunes has found her early success through the magic of YouTube, racking up millions of views for her ukulele covers of “Build Me Up, Buttercup,” “It’s Raining Men,” and other pop standards. They aren’t amazing, but hey, they’re pop covers on the uke. She’s got a couple CDs of originals, has opened for Ben Folds, and switches to regular guitar sometimes. She’ll come off your computer screen and appear in physical form at Red Palace.
7 PM at Red Palace, $10.
With the Hold Steady, Craig Finn’s become known for his narrative songwriting style and gruff mishmash of singing and half-talking over catchy guitar riffs. With his first solo CD, Clear Heart Full Eyes, he goes with more understated, folkish instrumentation. His show at Rock and Roll Hotel is sold out, but there are some tickets on Craigslist.
7 PM at Rock and Roll Hotel, sold out.
Saturday, March 3
Rick Ross’s show at Constitution Hall last week was—as much as I hate using this phrase—an epic fail, with barely anyone showing up. Young Jeezy is Ross’s main competition for hardest rapper in the game right now, and has a sold-out show at the Fillmore to prove he’s not giving up the crown easily. Watch him scream “Amazin’,” “I Do,” “Put On,” “My President,” and lots of other deeper cuts.
8 PM at the Fillmore, sold out.
Using a bunch of synths, airy samples, and random noises, local band Drop Electric make music that’s sometimes dancey, sometimes dreamy, but always interesting. They’ll play Black Cat’s mainstage.
9 PM at Black Cat, $10.
Sunday, March 4
Young Prisms forgot the days of trippy indie rock in the vein of Sonic Youth have been over for a while. The San Francisco group are pretty new, but their mature sound makes it seem like they’ve been around for years. They’ll play at DC9 Sunday—don’t forget your flannel.
8 PM at DC9, $8.
Speaking of St. Patty’s Day, if you missed Saw Doctors or just can’t get enough Irish tunes, Gaelic Storm are coming to the Birchmere. Not all of their songs are as straightforward as “The Night I Punched Russell Crowe,” but they don’t necessarily get too much more complicated than that.
7:30 PM, Birchmere, $35.
Monday, March 5
Tyga’s got the hottest song right now—proving either that he’s not just a Lil Wayne tagalong or that Weezy has enough money to make anyone a star. With “Rack City” blowing up car stereos, clubs, frat parties, and my living room on a near constant basis, he couldn’t have picked a better time to tour. He might have other songs, but do you actually know them?
8 PM at the Fillmore, $25.
It’s turning out to be a big week for the Birchmere. You’ve probably dramatically mouthed the words to “I’ll Make Love to You” either in front of a mirror or in public (or is that just me?)—now’s your chance to see Boyz II Men, competent singers that they are, actually sing the song.
7:30 PM at the Birchmere, $59.50.
Give a girl poppy beats and a sugar-sweet voice, and she’s Katy Perry. Teach a girl to make poppy beats, and she’s indie darling Lights, who brings her keytar, synth, and irresistibly dancey songs to 9:30 Club.
7 PM at 9:30 Club, $20.
Tuesday, March 6
Travis Tritt, one of Nashville’s legends, has racked up two Grammys and four CMAs for songs like “Best of Intentions” and “Here’s a Quarter.” He’s a country radio standard, and his simple, introspective songs are almost all about heartbreak and drinkin’. He plays the Birchmere.
7:30 PM at the Birchmere, $55.
New York’s the Knocks make the short trip down to Washington pretty often, but if you haven’t seen the electro duo yet, Tuesday’s a great chance to get your dance on. They excel at remixes but also have a few original songs, which will no doubt sound great blasting out of U Street Music Hall’s killer system.
8 PM at U Street Music Hall, $10.
Wednesday, March 7
Bombay Bicycle Club, not to be confused with the presumably leather-jacket-wearing Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, are one of the best bands to come out of London in a while. They scored a spot at Freefest last year, and people seemed to notice. The catchy rockers’ show at 9:30 Club is sold out—check Craigslist.
7 PM at 9:30 Club, sold out.
